Some network-based computing service providers allow customers to purchase and utilize computing resources, such as virtual machine (“VM”) instances, on a permanent or as-needed basis. In addition to VM instances, such computing service providers typically allow customers to purchase and utilize other types of computing resources. For example, customers might be permitted to purchase access to and use of file and block data storage resources, database resources, networking resources, and other types of computing resources. Utilizing these computing resources as building blocks, customers of such a network-based computing service can create custom solutions that provide various types of functionality, such as application hosting, backup and storage, content delivery, World Wide Web (“Web”) hosting, enterprise information technology (“IT”) solutions, database services, and others.
Managing network-based services such as those described above can be extremely complex. At least some of this complexity is attributable to the large number of computing resources that typically exist in such a service at any given time. For example, some network-based services might utilize dozens of data centers around the world, hundreds of thousands or even millions of server computers, along with large numbers of networking components, software programs, and other types of resources.
In order to obtain information regarding the operational status of a particular resource, system administrators typically utilize information-dense graphical user interfaces (“GUIs”) to obtain needed information. However, access to such GUIs is not always available to administrators, such as when they are traveling or otherwise away from a computer capable of accessing the GUI. Consequently, it can be difficult and time consuming to obtain information regarding the operational status of computing resources utilized to implement a network-based application.
The disclosure made herein is presented with respect to these and other considerations.